BOB LIESER, Vice President, Programs

A native Tulsan, Bob has been on the TGA staff since 1998. He coordinates the schedules for international visitors to Tulsa through the U.S. Department of State International Visitor Leadership Program, and Community Connections, Open World, Youth Ambassadors, and Sister City programs for TGA. Bob previously worked as an English as a Second Language teacher and refugee job counselor at the YWCA Multicultural Center in Tulsa. He received a Bachelor’s degree in History and Russian Area Studies from Cornell University in 1992. Bob has served on the boards of the Friends of the Tulsa City-County Library, Tulsa Association of Volunteer Administrators, All Souls Unitarian Church Adult Programs Board, and the Governor’s International Team.

CAROL McGOWEN, Director of Development

Carol brings over 25 years of leadership experience in both for-profit and non-profit organizations. She holds two Bachelor’s degrees: B.A. in English from University of Oklahoma, and B.S. in Geosciences from University of Tulsa.

Her love of global cultures began with her Leadership Tulsa internship on the TGA Board. From there, she served on the TGA Board for six years, including terms as VP of Policy & Procedure and VP of Youth Programs, when she was instrumental in creating and implementing “Breaking Through The Boundaries” youth cultural exchange program. 

Most recently, Carol worked for 10 years as Sr. Development Manager for AAPG. In that role, she helped globalize the organization by opening offices in London, Singapore, Bogota and Lagos.

Her travels have taken her to 24 countries on six continents.

APRIL GORDON , Consultant, Special Projects 

Originally from Tulsa, April holds a BA in International Politics and Foreign Policy and a MA in Eurasian Studies from Georgetown University. She devoted the last several years working for Freedom House in Washington, DC, supporting international programs aimed at advancing democracy and civic engagement throughout Eurasia.  Prior to this, April lived in Russia and the Republic of Georgia while finishing her studies and working for various organizations including the National Democratic Institute, the UN Development Program and US Embassy Tbilisi. April is a graduate of Tulsa’s Booker T. Washington High School, where she sparked a life-long love of global cultures while studying the Russian language. April took her very first trip abroad as a junior in high school as part of a student exchange with Tulsa’s Sister City of Zelenograd. She is also a previous intern of Tulsa Global Alliance. 

OLGA RANDOLPH, Sister Cities Program Coordinator

Born in Russia, Olga has lived in the Tulsa area since 2004. She holds a B.A. in Communication and Russian Studies from the University of Tulsa and an M.A. in Strategic Communications from Oklahoma State University.

Shortly after her move to Oklahoma, Olga was attracted by the mission and work of Tulsa Global Alliance, which closely aligned with her own interests - such as international travel, cross-cultural dialog, and citizen diplomacy. Over the years, she has been involved with TGA as volunteer, chair of the Tulsa-Zelenograd sister city partnership, programming member for international education, and, most recently, Vice Chair for Sister Cities.

Olga brings nearly 20 years of experience in foreign language teaching, translation, editing, cross-cultural consulting, and project coordination. For the past 13 years, she has taught Russian language and culture at the University of Tulsa.

In Memoriam
CATHY IZZO, 1955-2022

Recently, Tulsa Global Alliance announced the passing of Cathy Izzo, our beloved Sister City Coordinator and Office Administrator. Cathy passed away Sunday after a long, brave struggle with pancreatic cancer.   

Click on the link below to make a donation in Cathy’s honor.